The Library:

Time To Die, Part 1 (of 5)

In all likelihood, everyone reading this blog will die, including me… but that might be a good thing.

Despite what we see in the media, I think the human race is greatly, almost romantically, optimistic, perhaps to a fault. Every great invention I can think of came at great potential peril. The airplane–can you imagine the optimism it took for the first pilot to test the first jet airliner? “You want me to try to fly fifty tons of metal 20,000 feet in the air and you say the engineers over there say it should work? Sure, what the heck. I’ll give it a go…”

How optimistic did Neil Armstrong have to be in having faith that some crazy idea of sending a ship to the moon would work? Even the internet itself–what kind of cautious optimism was required for the risk of opening up the world’s knowledge to anyone?

We move forward at the risk of death all the time. Driving. Taking the elevator. Living by the ocean. Walking across a bridge. Swimming in the ocean.

What I wonder is, does death make us optimistic?

It seems like a contradiction but I wonder if knowing we will eventually pass away helps us appreciate the time we have. Could it be that we take risks to enjoy life more (going bungee jumping, for example) because we know how fleeting life is? It is, perhaps, our way of reminding ourselves how precious our time here is.

Today’s lesson: it is obvious we do not live our lives in fear (not even the most “fearful” of us). Knowing now that you are actually fearless and that you might die at any given moment, the question is: how will you live the rest of your life?

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Michael Salamey

People are made of many things, but only a few things define a person. For me, those things are Philosophy, Leadership, and Health.
I help independently owned and ethically run businesses break through communication obstacles and challenge conventional thinking. Sometimes that means delivering insightful marketing content; sometimes it means having tough but compassionate conversations. All the time, it means communicating and building relationships with honesty and integrity.
I am a vegan, an individualist, and occasionally a man willing to risk everything to reach a goal. I am known for being uncompromising in my values, and for being someone who dares to own his own life.
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